Rahul Gandhi is currently touring three cities in the USA for a period of 10 days. During his visit to New York, the last stop of his tour, he addressed the Indian diaspora and made several controversial statements. In line with his previous visits abroad, Gandhi criticized India and its government, making factually incorrect claims about the country’s history, democracy, and leaders.
In his speech, Gandhi attempted to portray the Congress party as following the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, while suggesting that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) represent the ideals of Nathuram Godse, the man responsible for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi argued that India is engaged in an ideological battle between the Congress (representing the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi) and the BJP-RSS (representing the ideology of Nathuram Godse). He stated that the principles and ideology cherished by the Congress are aligned with those of Mahatma Gandhi, who was known for his non-violence and pursuit of truth. On the other hand, he portrayed Godse as a violent and angry man who was unable to face reality.
NRI Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi went on to refer to Mahatma Gandhi as an NRI (non-resident Indian), suggesting that Nathuram Godse assassinated him because he couldn’t handle his own life and took his anger out on the man who symbolized the essence of India. According to Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi was forward-looking, modern, and open-minded, while Godse represented a regressive and hateful ideology rooted in the past. Gandhi praised his audience for following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, and Sardar Patel, concluding with the phrase ‘Jai Bhim.’
Ambedkar Criticised Gandhi
It is important to note that B.R. Ambedkar himself had criticized Mahatma Gandhi in his writings. In one of his essays, Ambedkar accused Gandhi of treachery and deceit, stating that Gandhi used these tactics in his political dealings.
Ambedkar also blamed Gandhi for Hindu-Muslim hostility, highlighting his misguided support for the Khilafat movement and the resulting violence against Hindus.
He criticized Gandhi’s politics as hollow, noisy, and lacking in honesty, contrasting it with the honest and truthful politics of leaders like Veer Savarkar and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
While Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have consistently criticized Veer Savarkar, it is worth noting that B.R. Ambedkar himself praised Savarkar’s politics for being honest and truthful, comparing him to Tilak, a prominent Congress leader.
Gandhi Created Hostility
B.R. Ambedkar strongly held Gandhi responsible for the Hindu-Muslim hostility and criticized his approach towards communal violence. On the other hand, Nathuram Godse, in his court speech after assassinating Gandhi, expressed his reasons, including his belief that non-violence was impractical and that it was his religious and moral duty to resist and overpower the enemy with force. He quoted Gandhi’s statements that seemed to advocate passivity and sacrifice of Hindus for the sake of unity.
While an objective analysis reveals some similarities between Godse’s and Ambedkar’s critiques of Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s recent controversial statements about Gandhi and Godse hinder the honest evaluation of historical mistakes in India. It is important to learn from these mistakes to prevent their repetition and safeguard India’s interests. Gandhi’s rhetoric undermines this process and should be recognized as a subversion of India’s history and future.